


Trust

by shutupmulder



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Ethan Hunt - Freeform, F/M, Ilsa Faust - Freeform, Mission Impossible, Rogue Nation AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-11-02 11:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20725172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutupmulder/pseuds/shutupmulder
Summary: Would you put your trust in a stranger?// A Rogue Nation rewrite.





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Just another reminder that this is a Rogue Nation AU fic.

The hot water trickled down her sun-kissed skin and soothed her sore muscles before it disappeared into the drainage. A sigh escaped her lips, the heat of the shower clearing her mind just a little bit. Frankly, she had not let her guard down completely for a very long time. The situation she had been in for almost two years now was most unpleasant.

Lane.

Solomon _ fucking _ Lane.

Ilsa closed her eyes, trying to shut him out. She often saw his face in her mind, those ice-blue eyes staring deep into hers. She often heard his voice, that raspy and quiet sound that she loathed more than she would admit. Especially when he invaded her personal space, something he did quite often.

Ilsa was a professional, she knew not to get any personal feelings involved. A terrorist was a terrorist, a weapons dealer a weapons dealer, and that was enough. It was different with Lane, however. One of the reasons why was obviously because she had spent way more time with him than any other target before.

He was clever, observant and cunning. Much unlike most people Ilsa met during her missions.

She hated him.

A sudden noise behind her interrupted her thoughts and her eyes flew open.

“No sudden moves.” A male voice filtered through the room.

Slowly, Ilsa turned to face the person who had broken into the bathroom, her hands raised slightly to show that she was not going to try anything.

Her blue eyes met his green ones and they simply looked at each other for a few moments, Ilsa not showing a hint of embarrassment even though she was stark naked in front of a stranger.

“Turn the shower off.”

“You’ll make the cleaning job easier by not turning the shower off. If you’re here to kill me, that is.” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“I said, turn it off.” He spoke matter of factly and there was no point in questioning his command by the tone of his voice so she did as asked.

“Step out of the shower.”

Ilsa complied and when she had done so he threw her a towel that hung on the towel rack next to him. Ilsa couldn’t help but notice that he had kept his gaze eye-level the entire time. That was rather unusual. Drying off quickly, Ilsa wrapped the towel around her slender body.

Together, like a slow dance, they moved out of the bathroom, under his command, until Ilsa was seated on her bed and the man had moved a chair to sit down in front of her but keeping a safe distance.

“You work for Solomon Lane.” He stated, eyes searching for hers.

“And you are?” She returned.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. But I want you to tell me where he is.”

“Even if I knew that, why would I tell that to a stranger pointing a gun at me?” She raised a questioning eyebrow.

He sighed. “Please. I don’t want to hurt you. But if you don’t do as I say, I will.”

“I am telling you the truth. I don’t actually know where he is right now.”

“What about his future plans?”

“Look,” Ilsa sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. “I know who you are. Your name is Ethan Hunt and you’re an American spy.”

His face didn’t show any emotion at her words and he sat in silence, waiting for her to continue.

“Whatever it is you’re here for, I can’t help you with it.” Eyes locked on his, she tried her best to sound convincing.

“Sure. You only work for the man himself _ and _ you know who I am. I think you know more than you are letting on. You can start by telling me how you know who I am, otherwise, I’m going to have to hurt you.”

“Lane knows you’re looking for him.”

“How does he know that?”

“Oh, Ethan. This search of yours that has been going on for a few months now isn’t exactly hard to miss. And missed him you have, more than once.” She pulled back a wet strand of hair behind her ear as she studied him.

“Are you trying to mock me?” He asked.

“Absolutely not. I think you’re a very skilled agent. I think you just underestimate his intelligence and influence. By the way, how did you find me?” She asked.

“I followed you. I knew something was going to happen at the opera. I saw you and I followed you.”

”You're the one who shot him, aren't you?” She huffed with a smile on her lips and Ethan looked confused by her reaction for a moment.

”Yes.”

”That was very clever of you.” She complimented him.

”I watched your bullet hit the chair right after mine hit the Chancellor. It would have hit him in the shoulder as well.” He paused, searching for any slight change in her face. Seeing none, he continued. ”And there were two armed men at the opera, one of them tried to shoot you afterwards.”

”Now that sounds very strange. What are you insinuating, Agent Hunt?” A small smirk was on her face and she watched Ethan shift in his chair.

”Who are you? Really?” He lowered his gun slightly until it rested on his knee, maintaining eye contact with her.

”We’re after the same thing. We both want to bring him down.”

”So.. I take it you’re British Intelligence?”

”Yes.”

”How long have you been working undercover?”

”Almost two years.”

Ethan looked shocked at the answer.

”As I said, you underestimate his intelligence and power. So did I, at first.”

”Those men at the opera..” He looked at her questioningly.

”Tonight was a test. Lane sent me to kill the Chancellor. And he doesn’t trust me yet, as you noticed tonight.”

”If you failed, one of them would kill you, the other one would finish the job.” Ethan finished, nodding slightly to himself. ”So.. what’s the big plan?”

”I can’t take him out because then we wouldn’t be able to track down the remaining members of the Syndicate. But there is a way. A disc, containing the names of all his operatives. In five days I’m going to be in Morocco. Now that I have reassessed the situation, I could actually use your help.” His gaze lingered on her and she watched his brain work.

Finally, he managed a small smile. ”I don’t even know your name.”

”It’s Ilsa. Ilsa Faust.” She returned the smile.

”It’s nice to meet you, Ilsa.”

”You too, Ethan.”

There was a small moment of silence where they simply looked at each other.

”Well..” Ethan cleared his throat. ”I’m sorry about... this. But I didn’t know who you were.”

”It’s fine. And perfectly understandable, I can tell you are still a little uncertain about this. I can give you my number, should there be anything you need to ask and so that I can give you the exact location.”

”Sure.” Ethan fished out his phone and wrote down the numbers she spoke. Sending a smiley, he heard a phone ding in the room.

Rising from the chair, he gave her a small smile. ”I’ll see you in five days then.”

”Yes. I'll call you. Take care, Ethan.” She smiled back.

”You too.” He answered before he left her hotel room.

*

“I have a source, and we are going to meet that source in Morocco in three days.” Ethan explained to his teammates who had joined him and Benji in the safehouse.

“Who is the source?” Brandt asked.

“Ask Ethan, he’s the one who let her go.” Benji murmured before Ethan had the chance to answer.

“What do you mean he let her go?” Brandt and Luther looked questioningly between Benji and Ethan as they sat around the dinner table.

“Ethan followed the woman who tried to kill the Chancellor. He had her under gunpoint, she didn’t tell him about Lane’s whereabouts or plans, and he trusted her when she told him she was a British spy working undercover and she gave him her number. And he also trusted her when she told him to meet her in Morocco in five days, no wait, that’s three days from now and we still haven’t heard from her.” Benji spoke quickly and he was clearly not happy with Ethan’s decision.

“She will call and she will be there.” Ethan told Benji and he briefly closed his eyes, waiting for his newly arrived friends to start criticizing his choice as well.

_“_ _Are you out your mind?” _

_“Are you crazy? _”

Brandt and Luther burst out simultaneously.

“Look, I know it sounds weird, but I trust her. I truly think she was telling the truth and she will help us. My gut instinct tells me so.” Ethan explained, putting his head in his hands.

“Ethan… How long have you been looking for Lane? Six months now, isn’t it? And when you finally have a huge opportunity to find him you just let it go? She could have been his girlfriend for God’s sake!” Luther exclaimed.

“She’s not his girlfriend.” Ethan put his hands back down, grabbing his coffee mug.

“How do you know that? Because your gut instinct tells you so?” Luther answered, shaking his head. “I love you, man, I really do, but sometimes I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours.”

“Well, me neither. But you’ll just have to trust me.” Ethan glanced at his friends.

“We trust you, Ethan. We just don’t trust her.” Brandt spoke, getting out of his chair to get some coffee as well.

_ * _

“Look, I know it says _ disavowed _but that could just be part of her cover. Okay?” Ethan spoke as he watched Luther holding the tablet with a picture of Ilsa’s face on it. She looked so different on the picture from when he had met her. Her hair was pulled back and the picture was in black and white. What he remembered most from their first meeting were her striking blue eyes and her freckles. Luther’s voice shook him out of his thoughts.

“I’d like to know what happened in detail because I don’t understand how you’re defending her at every moment when you’ve only met her once.” Luther had an eyebrow raised and before Ethan had time to answer, his phone rang.

Looking at the number, his face broke out into a small smile, and he could feel his friends' eyes on him. “Yes?” He answered.

“Ethan?” He heard her familiar voice and his breath of relief filtered throughout the room.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“You sound surprised. Didn’t think I wouldn’t call, did you?” He could hear the smile in her voice.

“Well, I’ve had my team telling me for the past three days what a fool I am and that you weren’t to be trusted so I’ve kind of started doubting my own actions.” He answered, making a face at his friends and watched them roll their eyes.

“Well, I’d say you were a fool to let me go as well, but lucky for you I was telling the truth.”

“I’m glad.”

“I’m going to send you a text with the coordinates where we can meet. You don’t have to knock.” There was something about her voice, the accent and the way she articulated the words that made him think she should record audiobooks.

”Okay, perfect.” He answered, closing his eyes trying to shut out his silly thoughts about her.

”Well, if there’s nothing else, I need to go. I'll see you in two days.”

”Yeah. Bye, Ilsa.” Ethan hung up the phone, staring at it for a few seconds before he turned to his friends.

”Don’t say it. Just don’t say-” Brandt began but Ethan interrupted.

”I told you so.” He smirked.

*

Brandt, Luther, Benji and Ethan arrived at the coordinates sometime after lunch. Ethan smiled and shook his head at the note she had left on the door while heard the team snickering behind his back. Entering the huge house, no Ilsa in sight, they moved through the open glass doors out into the backyard.

They heard a splash and turned their heads towards the pool, where Ilsa had popped out of the water, gasping for air. Slowly turning around, she noticed the team looking at her.

Gracefully, she stepped out of the pool and walked towards them. Ethan, being a gentleman, handed her a towel hanging off the back of a chair. “This feels all too familiar.” Ilsa greeted with a smirk. “But it is an improvement.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Ethan asked, a confused look on his face.

“At least this time I’m wearing a bikini.” Raising an eyebrow, she watched him chuckle and she could swear he was blushing slightly. Turning to look at his team members, who were sharing confused but knowing looks between them, she shook hands with each one of them before they went inside so she could explain their mission.

*

”I knew she couldn’t be trusted.” Brandt spoke as the team sat on the private jet towards London, discussing yesterday’s events. Mainly, how Ilsa had knocked Benji out with a defibrillator and taken the disc for herself.

”She has her orders and we have ours. At least we know she won’t take the disc to Lane.” Ethan replied.

”Just because she got away from the motorbike gang it doesn’t mean that she didn’t end up falling into Lane’s hands later, willingly or unwillingly.” Brandt stated, closing his eyes with a sigh and the rest of the trip was silent, the agents contemplating their mission.

*

”I knew it. From the very beginning, I knew you were lying.” Vinter spoke, slowly walking in a circle around Ilsa who sat on a chair, her hands tied behind her back.Ilsa simply looked at him, lips in a thin line, her face giving away nothing.

”You’re a cold bitch, you know that?” Vinter asked, stepping closer towards her. ”I’ve been waiting for this situation to come for a long time, just to see if you can actually show any emotion.” His fist connected with her cheek and she bit back the groan, turning her head back to look at him again.

”So, Hunt.. how long have you been fucking him? The footage from the hotel shows he entered and exited your room in less than 20 minutes. Is he that bad in the sack?”

The next couple of minutes continued like that, Vinter landing punches in her face and on her body, occasionally adding a rude comment. Meanwhile, Ilsa stared back at him expressionless, small groans of pain escaping her mouth at the blows every now and then.

As Vinter turned his back to her, heading towards his toolbox, Ilsa quickly made her move. Pressing her thumb towards the flat of her palm, she clenched her teeth and pulled her arm back as far as she could, a move that was not the first and probably not the last time she would use.

The pain in her left hand exploded when her hand finally slipped free out of the handcuff and she couldn’t quite bite back the groan. However, she knew she had to be quick and with both hands free now, she ran towards Vinter who had finally turned around with a large knife in his hands. The shock in his eyes told her that the element of surprise was in her favour and taking a quick step on his knee, her right arm fended off his outstretched one before she climbed on top of him and whipped them both down. Her strong thighs held his neck in a vice grip and with a twist of her legs the sharp sound of bone breaking echoed in the room and Vinter's body stilled.

Releasing the hold on his neck, Ilsa sighed and stood up with a groan, one or two of her ribs were definitely bruised if not broken.

Picking up Vinter’s gun, she sneaked out of the room. Realising she was the only person in the tiny apartment, she grabbed a pair of car keys from Vinter’s jacket and moved out to the street. Luck seemed to be in her favour at the moment when a black BMW unlocked only a few meters away from her.

Jumping into the car, she drove off with high speed towards the location she had overheard that Lane, or rather Benji, would meet Ethan.

She spotted Benji walking away from the restaurant premise, Ethan sitting at one of the tables. She also noticed that several of Lane’s henchmen had surrounded him.

Trying to blend in with the crowd, she held her right arm inside of her coat, hiding the gun in her hand. She walked a little closer so that Ethan would be able to see her. A moment later, their eyes met and she tried to silently tell him that she was there to help him. A small nod of his head told her that he had understood.

Then all hell broke loose. Ilsa dodged bullets and managed to take out two of Lane’s henchmen before Ethan grabbed her free hand and tried to get her behind him. However, he quickly let go of her injured hand when she groaned sharply and she heard him mumble an apology.

Ilsa quickly caught up on the fact that Lane didn’t want Ethan dead and together they moved in sync, Ethan shielding her with his body, out of the restaurant before they took off, sprinting down the crowded street.

”You okay?” He finally managed as they rounded a corner, glancing at her bloodied face with worried eyes but he didn’t slow down the pace.

”Yeah.” She groaned, a little out of breath, her ribs were killing her at the moment.

”Almost there,” Ethan said, as he took out two of Lane’s henchmen. Unfortunately, they were out of bullets now. Just as they came to the building Ethan’s team had planned to lead Lane, a bullet flew past Ilsa’s head, shattering the large window behind her to pieces.

Acting quickly, Ethan and Ilsa ran through the opening and Ilsa followed Ethan down through a hole in the floor, several bullets just barely missing her.

Soon, Lane was locked up in a glass box, his ice-cold eyes staring first at Ethan and then Ilsa with a hatred she had not seen in a long time.

”What happened, Ilsa? What did he do to you?” Ethan asked her when they were finally alone, his teammates giving them some privacy by waiting in the van, and the concern in his eyes made her insides flutter just a little bit, even through the pain.

”Obviously, he wasn’t very happy to begin with after finding out that the disc was empty. On top of that, Vinter had decided to do a full-on investigation on me since he didn’t trust me. When I came back from the train station he had found footage of you entering and exiting my hotel in Vienna. We don’t need to talk about some of the assumptions he made out of your visit, but the main point was that I wasn’t only working for Lane.” Ilsa said wtih a small smile on her face.

”I’m so sorry.” Ethan said in a soft voice, putting a hand gently on her right arm. Ilsa was not a big fan of physical contact from people she barely knew but, oddly enough, she didn’t flinch.

”It’s not your fault, Ethan.” She stated with a slight shake of her head.

”The part about the hotel is my fault so yes, it kind of is.” He answered truthfully.

”But if you hadn’t followed me in Vienna, I wouldn’t have gotten your help in Casablanca - which I truthfully think I would have needed.”

”Okay, just get a room.” Brandt said before Ethan had come up with an answer, making them both jump, they hadn’t noticed that he had walked around to the front of the van.

Chuckling, they both shook their heads at the awkwardness of the situation.

”So.. I guess this is it.” Ilsa said, turning her eyes away from Brandt who had opened the hood of the van to check something, her eyes now locked with Ethan’s.

”Yeah. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ilsa.” He smiled.

”You too, Ethan. Until next time. Hopefully with you not pointing a gun at me.” She joked with a smirk, wincing slightly as pain exploded in her bruised jaw at the motion.

Ethan chuckled until he noticed her discomfort and his concerned face was back. ”You should go to the hospital, though.”

”Don’t worry, I will. I need to reset my dislocated thumb.”

”Mm.” Ethan nodded, he was quite familiar with that injury. ”What count are you on?” He asked with a sad smile.

”Honestly, I’ve lost count by now.” She sighed. ”How about you?”

”Same.”

”Ethan, we need to go.” Brandt shouted behind them, stepping back inside the van and they could hear sirens in the distance.

As Ethan turned to look at his teammate behind him, Ilsa took him by surprise when he felt her wrap her arms around him. He didn’t waste any time returning the hug, though.

”Take care, Ethan.” She spoke, her breath close to his ear and he hoped she wouldn't notice the goosebumps rising on his neck.

”You too, Ilsa.” He whispered, and she closed her eyes for a moment before she let go of him.

With one last look, she turned around. The distance from the restaurant where she had parked the car was not very far and she had insisted that she could walk when Ethan tried to persuade her into giving her a lift.

Ethan watched her frame get smaller and smaller when he heard Brandt speak, ”We really need to go.”

That shook him out of his trance and he joined his team members in the van. As soon as he was seated, Brandt started up the car and pressed on the gas.

”You’ve got it bad, mate.” Benji smirked at him and Ethan groaned while the rest of the team chuckled. A few seconds later his phone beeped. Quickly fishing his phone out of his pocket his heart skipped a beat when he saw who had texted him and he opened the text.

_You know how to find me. Ilsa _

The grin on his face made the team share knowing looks and Benji who sat next to Ethan glanced at the screen and chuckled. The team definitely had some teasing ahead of them and they were looking forward to it.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry I don't post a lot anymore, but I have four unfinished fics that I just can't seem to finish. This was one of them but I finally managed to write an ending to it. I hope you like it and please leave a comment :)


End file.
